People from all over the world traveled to see who could assemble a 1000-piece jigsaw the fastest thanks to a Strictly Come Dancing celebrity.
On Sunday, Newmarket, Suffolk, hosted the British Jigsaw Championships.
By finishing the puzzle in one hour and 52 minutes, Sarah Mills of Norwich successfully defended her title for the ninth consecutive year.
After hearing Joanne Clifton mention the occasion on television, Fiona Dickinson and her daughter Holly, 12, decided to travel.
The previous Strictly winner finished fifth in the competition the previous year and spoke about her success while appearing on BBC One's The Weakest Link.
Holly and Ms. Dickinson began working on jigsaw puzzles while the school was in lockdown, and Ms. Clifton's mention of the contest encouraged them to enter.
Oh my gosh, Holly, there's a competition, I was thinking, she recalled. "I immediately went online, looked up the opening date, marked it on the calendar, and woke up really early to secure a place.
It was "great" to participate, according to the mother-and-daughter team from Nottingham who had traveled down.
Kate Armstrong, Charlie Armstrong, and Alex Lloyd, sisters from Durham, claimed that the professional dancer had also influenced them.
"My sister Kate loves jigsaw puzzles, so when we heard it, we were like 'let's go,'" Charlie said. We made plans, purchased our tickets, and now we are here. ".
The 10-year tradition of the annual competition, which is a part of a six-day jigsaw festival, raises money for St. Mary's Church.
The Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin was a jigsaw puzzle that contestants had to complete.
For the ninth time, Ms. Mills declared herself "thrilled" to hold onto her title.
According to the event's organizer, Janet Ramsay-Healie, there were nearly 200 participants this year, up from 70 the year before.
It really is amazing how it has snowballed, and she said, "I just hope we can keep it going and to keep it going, but we need to get more volunteers."
